


hell chess

by imposterhuman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Chess, Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, Nightmares, Tony Stark Has A Heart, hell chess, rules are for fools, winteriron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-26 22:59:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16690576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: bucky has a nightmare and needs a distractiontony provides that distraction in the form of hell chess





	hell chess

**Author's Note:**

> so this is kinda cracky but my friend wanted me to write something based off of two tumblr posts (ill link them at the end)
> 
> i did this in like 20 mins so rip me i guess

It was one of _those_ nights for Bucky again, one where the nightmares wouldn’t leave him alone, where his hands felt sticky with blood and his fingers itched for a trigger.

 

He was sitting in the common room of the Tower, staring out at nothing, trying to keep the memories at bay, when Tony found him.

 

Tony stumbled into the common room, bleary eyed, holding the world’s largest mug of coffee. It was clear the engineer had a nightmare as well, but when he saw Bucky, he immediately shoved it aside.

 

“Rough night, Snowflake?” he said with a yawn.

 

“Yeah,” Bucky replied hoarsely.

 

“Is staring into the abyss helping?”

 

“Not really,” Bucky admitted. “But I don’t know what else to do.”

 

Tony blinked owlishly, thinking. Finally, he said, “Let’s play Hell Chess.”

 

“What’s that?” Bucky asked, turning towards Tony. He already felt lighter, which was no doubt Tony’s intention.

 

“It’s a game Rhodey and I played in MIT,” Tony said sheepishly. “I was too good at regular chess, so Rhodey invented Hell Chess. Basically, it’s chess on crack. I’ll explain as we go.” Bucky looked confused and Tony sighed. “We were really high when we invented it, okay? Don’t judge me. It’s fun.”

 

“Fine,” Bucky said dramatically, a smile playing on his lips. Tony whooped.

 

“Fri, pull up a Hell Chess board,” he said.

 

A holographic board was projected in between the pair. Bucky looked at it, bewildered.

 

“Why do you have three queens?” he asked warily.

 

“Same reason we each have five checkers,” Tony replied happily. “It’s a completely random assortment of pieces, but you have to follow the rules of each. Look, you have two kings!”

 

“Uh huh,” Tony’s enthusiasm was contagious, but Bucky was doing his best to not show it.

 

“I’ll start,” said Tony, moving a pawn forward. “By the way,” Tony said, ticking off the items on his list on his fingers. “Trash talking is encouraged, you can throw pieces at me, and its only cheating if you can prove it.” He said the last bit with a devilish grin, and Bucky knew he was going to lose.

 

“Did Rhodey ever win this?” Bucky asked, shifting his pawn two spaces.

 

“Nope!” Tony popped the ‘p’. “Turns out, I’m just as good at this as I am regular chess.”

 

Bucky smirked, moving a checker across the board and capturing Tony’s pawn. “Then I guess you’re not very good at regular chess, are you, doll?”

 

Tony gasped in mock horror. “For shame, Snowflake, for shame!” he cried. “Not to brag, but I won chess champion at my elementary school every year I went.”

 

“So, like, once.”

 

Tony picked a random piece off the board and threw it at Bucky. “So worth it,” he muttered.

 

Bucky chuckled and moved his rook forward. “Uh oh,” he laughed. “Looks like some of your pieces are in trouble.”

 

“Nope,” Tony pouted, capturing the rook. “And I’m keeping this piece.”

 

“Then I’m keeping this one,” Bucky said, maneuvering a checker in the place of one of Tony’s queens.

 

“I will admit, I was not expecting that.”

 

“Why not?” Bucky smiled widely. “Didn’t think I could beat you?”

 

Tony scoffed. “On the contrary,” he said smoothly, capturing four of Bucky’s pieces with a checker jump. “Just didn’t think you’d be that dumb.”

 

“Check,” Bucky said innocently.

 

“Oh, good,” Tony said, sounding completely unconcerned. “Get rid of the puppet monarch. My pawns decided before the game to overthrow the monarchy and establish a democracy. So, the king is just a tyrant in need of deposition. Viva la revolution!”

 

“Is that even allowed?” Bucky asked waspishly. Tony just grinned in response. “Well, my checker was just a forward scout, and he just opened up the board for my army to take over.” With one move, Bucky took half of Tony’s pieces.

 

Tony squawked indignantly and Bucky stood. “I’m going to get water, do you want anything?” Tony shook his head and Bucky proceeded to the kitchen. He heard Tony arguing with FRIDAY and he let a fond smile cross his lips.

 

When he got back to the sofa, he saw Tony sitting with a smug smile and all of his pieces back on the board.

 

“Prison break,” he explained with a shrug. “The guards went for a drink, and well, shit happens.”

 

“That’s so not allowed!”

 

“Isn’t it?” Tony asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Rhodey used to hide the pieces he captured of mine in high places so I wouldn’t be able to take them back. Its Hell Chess, everything’s allowed.”

 

Bucky glared. “Well, my knights have decided to act as one entity and rout your front line.”

 

Tony narrowed his eyes. “I’m pretty sure knights can’t do that,” he grumbled.

 

“Oh?” replied Bucky. “I’m pretty sure pawns can’t unanimously decide on a democracy and allow their king to be brutally murdered by a checker, but maybe I read the rules wrong.”

 

Tony barked a laugh. “You’re getting it now!”

 

“So I am,” Bucky said, looking fondly at Tony.

 

\---

 

Morning came and found the two men curled up on the couch together. They had fallen asleep watching a movie, one off of the list Tony made for Bucky of movies that he had to watch.

 

Bucky was the first one awake, padding silently over to the kitchen to start the coffee. He had slept without nightmares after several round of Hell Chess, and he felt _happy._

“Mornin’, Buck,” Steve said, already wide awake. “How’d you sleep?”

 

Bucky cast a glance over to Tony, who was stirring slightly. “Really well,” he said with a smile. “Really well.”

 

Tony chose that moment to wake up, meeting Bucky’s fond gaze with his sleepy openness. “Coffee?” he said, peering over the back of the couch. Bucky passed him a mug and Tony gulped it down. “I beat you, by the way,” he said once the coffee had entered his system and Bucky had resumed their cuddle.

 

“No, you didn’t,” Bucky said, scratching his fingers gently through the other man’s hair.

 

“I did,” Tony protested stubbornly. “I _eviscerated_ you.”

 

“Lies and slander, doll. Lies and slander.”

**Author's Note:**

> howd i do?
> 
> posts:  
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/80079699607232470/  
> https://www.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/9imcfb/someone_play_this_with_me_please/
> 
> prompts welcome! i love them
> 
> comments and kudos and i wont kill your fave <3


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